theinfamousj reviewed on 12/15/2011 + 29 more book reviews

From http://theinfamousj.livejournal.com/438297.html

I love, love, love, love dystopian fiction. To that end, if you love dystopian fiction as I do, you will love this book.

The premise of this story is that there is a man who is capable, through subconscious dreams, of altering the universe. Or perhaps he is capable of transferring his consciousness onto a parallel, yet subtly different, universe. As most of us dream resolutions to our conflicts, so too does he, but with far reaching consequences for himself and those who are present when he dreams.

Add to this a psychiatrist who specializes in sleep disorders who decides to use our fateful protagonist's powers to do good in the world. Or at least that is the attempt, but as with all dystopian fiction, something always goes wrong.

There is a lot of dialogue in this story, and it focuses on the exact nature of the dream gift as well as the ethics of using the gift. There are three recurring characters: the dreamer, the psychiatrist, and a female lawyer.

As with all other dystopian fiction, the story ends with an overwhelming feeling of good and trust to humanity, but the ride along the way is full of twists, turns, and mysteries that are revealed.

I've given this book 4 out of 5 stars because there were sections where Ursula K. Le Guin seemed to expect you to know things that were not disclosed in the book. Perhaps if I lived on the west coast I might know them, but as I am an east coast reader, I was left puzzled occasionally.

This book is very similar to "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?".

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